To protect our environment from toxins created by burning garbage, governments set regulations for disposal of garbage to reduce incinerating garbage. The regulations include where landfills can be placed in a community, how they should be built, and what can go in them. To encourage citizens to reduce the amount of waste that goes into a landfill, municipalities set up and run programs that focus on the 3 Rs - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. These include encouraging manufacturers to reduce the amount of packaging when preparing a product for sale; citizens are then encouraged to recycle packaging after they have bought and used a product. In addition, municipalities have created “Reuse” centres where people can bring items they no longer need so others can then purchase them for use. These “Reuse” centres often donate some of their profits to benefit individuals who need support as well as community projects, so they provide great benefit to the wellness of a community. One such example as the Habitat for Humanity ReStores where the funds generated are used to build habitat homes for local families in need.

In 1972, the Ontario government introduced legislation to reduce the waste created by the soft drink industry with the waste of bottles and cans. The government took action to create a recycling plant in Downsview, Ontario, where waste was sorted. Over time, communities recognized their need to reduce waste so several local recycling programs were created which eventually grew to the curbside pickup of recyclables. Since this time, recycling programs have grown from returning and reusing pop bottles to recycling and reusing all sorts of recyclable materials. These programs now also include reducing landfill waste by adding and recycling raw food waste for composting. When we all do our part to recycle, we reduce the amount of waste in landfills which reduces emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas which damages our ozone layer. When we recycle we also help to reuse material that is converted into new produces so it reduces our use of natural resources. To do your part, find out what is recyclable in your school and/ or community and the location of your local reuse centres. If you don’t have a reuse centre then you can always petition your local municipal government to start one.

The government also sets regulations with regard to what industries can release into lakes and rivers, as well as the air. For example, greenhouse gases from fossil fuels are a major cause of climate change. Fossil fuels are also a major contributor to smog and a source of toxic air pollutants such as mercury. These air pollutants are a major source of respiratory illnesses such as asthma. Mercury, itself, contaminates our food sources. The government also supports these policies by placing regulations on car and truck engines to reduce fossil fuel emissions and funding public transportation to improve mass transit and reduce the use of motor vehicles. Funding of local transit such as buses and trains also supports the health of a community by helping people get to work, shop and access recreational facilities and programs close to their homes. Funding also helps to make transit affordable.

Active Transportation refers to any form of human-powered transportation – walking, cycling, using a wheelchair, in-line skating, or skateboarding. There are many ways to use this form of transportation, whether it is walking to the bus stop, or cycling to school/work. In Thunder Bay, and many other cities across Ontario and Canada, part of the road has designated walking and bike lanes. Using your own energy to get to and from where you need to go in your day is a very easy way to make daily physical activity part of your life. If you walk in a group, it gives you the opportunity to increase your social time with your friends; it also reduces congestion of cars which can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Being part of the active transportation movement by walking or biking to school and work helps reduce gases which are harmful to our health. It is one of the many ways you can do your part to support your own health and the health of others.

Why is conserving energy so important? Many types of energy use fossil fuels in some way. Fossil fuels are a nonrenewable resource. At some point, fuel sources, such as the coal and oil we now get from the earth, will run out. When this happens, we will have much more difficulty in heating our homes - and many of the devices we use that rely on electricity will not work. The many other types of energy that depend on fossil fuels will no longer work. Doing our part in conserving energy gives researchers more time to come up with solutions and alternative energy sources that do not deplete or damage our earth. The other reason for conserving energy is the health and wellbeing of every life form on the entire planet. Fossil fuels and other energy forms pollute the environment in a some way. When water is polluted during the process of creating energy, it can change the ecosystem by killing off many different types of wildlife and plants.

You can start to use less electricity today - and save money, too. Many conservation ideas are free, and just involve changing some habits. It is as easy as turning off the lights when you are not using them or using lights that have a longer life and save energy. Start by following three general rules:

• Go off-peak. Use energy at times when electricity prices are lower, such as early in the morning, later in the evening, or on weekends. Your local energy company can give you information about when off peak hours are in your community.
• Evict your phantoms. Many devices – TVs, computers, cell phone chargers – draw “phantom power,” meaning they use electricity unless they’re unplugged. If you plug these into a power bar with a switch, you can turn them off completely when they are not in use.
• Invest in efficiency. Switch to LED or compact fluorescent light bulbs, and use or encourage your caregivers to buy and use energy saving appliances at home.